Chapter 173: Side Story 29 

Ysildus slowly rose from his seat. He could count on one hand the times in his life he’d been this shocked.

“Father? Mother? Who’s there?”

“Dephensores, Lady Luna, even Lord Tenail. Big names are swarming outside.”

Terrun reported quickly, his face pale with alarm.

“They came without notice?”

“Those kinds of people don’t give notice.”

Ysildus let out a long sigh at Terrun’s curt response. What a bothersome crowd to arrive unannounced. These were the kinds of people who wouldn’t hesitate to break down the door if it wasn’t opened for them. With a look of resignation, Ysildus slumped back down into his chair.

In his place, Jeremiah calmly called for the head attendant and the head maid. In truth, Jeremiah was quite pleased that the people of Thersion had come to the capital. A part of him even wished they could stay with him forever.

His summons served both as a warning and to make arrangements for their accommodations.

“Prepare the most secluded and spotless rooms.”

“The most secluded and spotless?”

The head attendant tilted his head, confused.

“Why would you want those kinds of rooms…?”

“We’ll need at least three. The Grand Duke’s household has arrived. You’ll have to be on your toes for a while. Keep others from going near that wing and personally oversee all their meals.”

Tension flickered across the head attendant’s face. The same went for the head maid. If Jeremiah was giving such specific instructions, these guests were clearly not ordinary.

“Is there anything else I should be mindful of?”

And on top of that, it was Thersion. The most powerful faction in the empire. There was nothing to gain from offending them.

“Mindful, huh… Ysildus? Anything else?”

Ysildus blinked slowly, his head tilted back against the couch. He leaned his head to the side, and both the head attendant and head maid watched him closely.

It felt like there were two dragons in the room, one ferocious, the other mild-mannered but hiding something dangerous. What kind of place was this? A jungle teeming with wild beasts.

“What else… Somewhere quiet. No humans wandering in and out. Nothing disruptive. And Alexa.”

“Ale…xa?”

The head attendant blinked. Of course, he knew Alexa Eneroff was currently in the capital. But in this crowd radiating pure intimidation, Alexa felt more like sunshine, a touch of comfort. It was hard to believe she was engaged to someone like Ysildus.

A predator and a prey animal, what a combination.

“Why her…?”

The head attendant asked cautiously, testing Ysildus’s mood.

“If I look uncomfortable, bring Alexa in. That’ll be enough.”

Ysildus spoke slowly.

At first, the head attendant didn’t understand at all. That girl? Sure, her medical skills were decent, but beyond that…?

It didn’t take long for him to understand. 

* * *

The head attendant’s lips quivered as his face went pale.

It felt like he was surrounded by a wall of massive stone. No, more like he’d been thrown unarmed into a pack of wolves. And the worst part was, not a single one of these beasts looked to be in a good mood.

“Why on earth is Alexa working here? Did you push her into this?”

“M-Me?”

The head attendant stammered.

“Th-That’s absurd! I would never… I don’t even have the authority to do such a thing.”

“Then why? Why didn’t she just treat this like a leisurely visit? Why take on work?”

The Grand Duke of Thersion looked thoroughly displeased, sitting with arms crossed and eyes wide and glaring. The pressure was unbearable. And he wasn’t the only one.

“I want to see Alexa’s room. I’m curious how she’s living. She is using the best room, right? The sunniest and the most spacious?”

“Well…”

The head maid stuttered, flustered. She was just as terrified as the head attendant and tried to hide behind him, shoulders hunched.

“That room belongs to Her Majesty the Empress, so Miss Alexa isn’t using it. But we’ve prepared a very nice–”

“What?”

Essellia’s eyes narrowed sharply. The head maid swallowed hard.

“There’s no empress right now. Why can’t Alexa use that room? And if she can’t, why didn’t you redo the interior at least?”

Essellia sighed.

“Do you even know what kind of girl Alexa is? She’s not someone who can live in a shabby place like this.”

“This isn’t a shabby place, I assure you–”

“Hah. If you can’t even call it the best room, then it is shabby. Alexa is used to only the finest. What she wears, eats, sleeps on, all top-tier. Are you telling me you’ve prepared everything to that standard?”

“We’ve done our best…”

The head maid barely managed to respond, her lips trembling. Essellia let out a deep sigh and covered her face with one hand. The head maid bowed her head.

Wait, weren’t they supposed to be the Thersion Grand Duke and Grand Duchess? Why were they so hung up on Alexa? Not a word about Ysildus, and the Young Lord was practically invisible. All they talked about was Alexa, both of them.

And so intensely, too.

Anyone hearing this would think Alexa was a delicate flower that might blow away with a single gust of wind. The head maid kept mumbling about how she’d really done her best. The head attendant, unable to withstand any more, ordered a servant to fetch Alexa.

He shoved the servant’s back and added ‘hurry’ no fewer than five times. Only after the servant had sprinted off did the head attendant exhale.

Then he began pacing in front of the room. Having abandoned the head maid inside to fend for herself, he worried what kind of grudge she might bear later. But he had no choice as Carlisle’s gaze was sharp enough to kill. His legs were trembling beneath his crossed arms.

“Why isn’t she here yet?”

Just when those twenty minutes began to feel eternal, Alexa arrived, looking puzzled. She was sweating a bit, likely because the servant had hurried her along, and walked quickly, lifting her skirts.

With a bright smile, she asked, “You asked for me? Is something wrong?”

Every word from her was warm and kind. The head attendant, his heart swelling, quickly responded.

“We have guests. Did you hear?”

“No, I didn’t. There were a lot of patients this morning, so I was too busy to pay attention to anything else.”

Not to mention, the Queen had shown up with that shameless look on her face.

“Ah, I see. Even though you’re busy, thank you so much for coming. The guests asked to see you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Guests from House Thersion.”

“Oh.”

Alexa’s eyes widened.

“Why would they come here?”

“I don’t know. But they’re asking for you… so, please…”

The head attendant hesitated, unsure whether to pull or push her. All he wanted was to shove her into that room as quickly as possible.

“Alright.”

Alexa entered the room of her own accord. The head attendant watched with his own eyes as the icy atmosphere inside melted away in an instant.

“Grand Duchess! Grand Duke! I’ve missed you so much! I’m so happy you came!”

Beaming, Alexa threw herself into Essellia’s arms.

“Mother.”

“Yes?”

Alexa tilted her head.

“You should call me Mother.”

A gentle insistence. Alexa blinked, cheeks flushed.

“M-Mother…? Father…?”

She glanced between Essellia and Carlisle and gave a sweet little smile.

“Like this?”

Her voice was full of shyness, and both Essellia and Carlisle smiled.

“Yes, that’s perfect.”

Carlisle leaned back, arms crossed, legs casually folded. His expression was one of satisfaction. The sharp glint in his eyes had softened.

“Alexa. Aren’t you overworking yourself? You don’t look well.”

The head attendant quickly searched his memory. Had Alexa been experiencing discomfort lately? He vaguely remembered some friction with the other doctors… But aside from that? No… and now, those very doctors’ lives might be at risk.

He and the head maid both stared at Alexa’s lips.

“Huh? Not at all. I’ve been doing really well.”

Alexa shook her head.

“It’s been fun, actually…”

She rubbed her cheek.

Well, aside from the whole Thersion storming into the capital thing.

Alexa let out a quiet chuckle.

Still, this was warmer. This was more familiar.

She rested her head gently against Essellia’s shoulder.